Waste Not Mystery Supper

We're heading up the Coast for a visit with my Mother and Sister in Law today. We'll only be gone for about a day and a half, but just the same, there's something about leaving home, even for a short visit, that inspires me to clean out the fridge, use the leftovers and fresh produce that really needs to be used up before they turn into science experiments.


We got lucky and found rib eyes on sale for our Memorial Day BBQ. It seems steaks are cut thicker than they used to be, and we ended up with a good amount of leftover meat. In addition to that I had a bell pepper I had actually forgotten I had in the fridge, as well as 4 good sized mushrooms. It seemed like a colorful beginning for a hot dish, and so my latest grand experiment began...


1 lb. leftover meat (I used the rib eye. You could use whatever is calling your name, pork, chicken, beef roast, maybe even mix n match!)
1 Green Bell pepper, coarsely chopped (You can sub another green veggie, broccoli perhaps, or even peas)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic (or use garlic powder)
salt (1/2 tsp.?)
4-6 fresh mushrooms, sliced (minus the 2 slices the kids just have to nibble on)
1 Cup uncooked rice (or use leftover, just cut back on the water)
2-1/4 Cups hot water
2 tsp. Beef Bouillon (or whatever flavor you have on hand, or sub a couple cups of broth for this and the water)


Coat a large skillet with Pam, or melt a couple Tbsp. of butter. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook and stir til veggies are tender. Add rice. Cook and stir til lightly browned. Add meat, Bouillon and water, then stir in mushrooms, and salt to taste. (We just added the salt and pepper at the table). Bring the whole thing to the boiling point. Reduce heat to a simmer. Give a good stir, cover and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally til water is absorbed and rice is cooked, 20 - 25 minutes. Add more water during the last 5 minutes or so if needed (Mushrooms can be unpredictable when it comes to water absorption)


We placed Soy and Teriyaki sauces on the table so everyone could season as desired, and served with tomato wedges. Everyone had seconds, a sure sign of success :)


Movie Review


Sunday evening Pa and I watched The Last Castle. We both enjoyed it so much that we gave it a rare rating of 5, the highest rating option at Netflix. We're pretty stingy with our 5 star ratings, so that says something. There's some violence, and language, so not for the young-uns, but after the kiddos are all tucked in for the night, and Ma 'n' Pa are relaxing on the couch, it may be a fun one to plug in.